Rich Girard’s Run for Mayor Likely Will Be Derailed by Sex Scandal
OPINION
MANCHESTER, NH — A seven-year old sex scandal in which Richard H. Girard, a married man, tried to inveigle a single woman into having sex with him, likely will become an issue during the 2021 mayoral campaign. A former radio talk show host who publicly portrays himself as a pillar of morality, Girard’s attempted seduction was revealed by the target of his sexting campaign on the social media platform Facebook.
This the second time that Girard, an insurance salesman who sells life insurance and investment products, has run for mayor.
Rich Girard’s bid for mayor in 2001 ended ignominiously with a landslide defeat at the hands of then-incumbent Bob Baines in the general election. His second try to put his finger through the big brass ring on the Queen City political merry-go-round likely will be terminated on Primary Day. With two women in the race, Republican Victoria Sullivan and Mayor Joyce Craig — who trounced Sullivan in 2019 — it’s inevitable that the “Little Mel” sexting scandal will become an issue.
Girard has benefitted from the “Harvey Weinstein Syndrome” where the media before the #METOO movement ignored reports of sexual shenanigans of politicians and other powerful men. Indeed, but for the intervention of a prominent politician, the Girard sexting scandal might have remained unknown to the public.
The Union Leader had the story about Girard “sexting” a woman who called herself “Little Mel” on Facebook, but didn’t publish it for a week. “Little Mel” spoke to WMUR-TV’s James Pindell about the incident, but the TV station ignored her story.
Alderman-at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur, alerted to Little Mel’s social media postings revealing the sexting exchange between her and Girard, broadcast their existence to the media and prominent people in Manchester, via email. Paul Siefer then wrote about it in his “City Hall” column for the Union Leader.
Rich Girard took a two-week sabbatical from his radio talk show after the story became public. He remained on the air for another three years, until the show folded in 2017.
